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Atticus: Resignation rumours are easy to come by when Alastairs not around

Where is Alastair Campbell when you need him most? He would surely have made short work of the BBC report yesterday that Tony Blair had been toying with resignation. According to BBC political editor Andrew Marr, the prime minister has been “seriously reviewing his position” and had “something of a long night of the soul”.

It is claimed that Blair was only dissuaded from clearing his belongings into a black bag by a series of stiff lectures from John Reid, Tessa Jowell and Charles Clarke, along with a letter from Patricia Hewitt.

Campbell would have been on to all this like a shot. How many sources does Marr have for this long night of the soul? Sure, Brown’s enemies in the cabinet are desperate to keep him out of No 10 but why on earth would the PM resign now when he would look like a political failure? Is this